Sir Chris Hoy and Laura Trott may dominate the field in velodromes around the
world, but why is Britain lagging so far behind our European neighbours in
the race to make our city streets fit for bicycles?

Last month, The Times was invited by the Lord Mayor of Copenhagen to
spend a day cycling around his city and talking to staff at the town hall
about why the Danish capital is so easy and pleasant to get around by bike,
on foot and even by car.

In Copenhagen, a third of all commuter journeys are made by bicycle, while car
usage is falling. A quarter of two-children families own a cargo-style bike
to get around the busy streets, encouraged to use the 346km (215 miles) of
segregated cycle lanes, maintained by the relatively low budget of €10
million (£8 million) a year.

Copenhagen may have a smaller population than London — 550,000 compared with
more than 8 million — but it has a greater population density, with more
than a thousand extra people per square kilometre in its centre, so space is
still at a premium.

When the health benefits, time saved and reduction in congestion and car
crashes are taken into account, Copenhagen authorities have calculated that
society makes a net profit of 1.22 Danish kroner (around 13p) for every
kilometre cycled by one of its citizens.

By the same criteria, society makes a net loss of 8p for every kilometre
driven by car. The Lord Mayor, Frank Jensen, admitted that he found it scary
when he cycled around London and said that there was far more animosity
between drivers and cyclists than in Copenhagen. “Drivers are very peaceful
towards cyclists in Copenhagen,” he said, “Many drivers are cyclists
themselves and are also aware that more cyclists mean fewer cars.”

Ingvar Sejr Hansen, a senior civil servant at Copenhagen City Hall, said:
“More cyclists mean you can have more and more people living together in the
same space, as they can move around within the city so much more easily. But
you need a critical mass to demand it.”

In Copenhagen, this critical mass was achieved in the late 1970s, when
thousands of people converged on the town hall amid spiralling petrol prices
to demand better conditions for cycling. More than 30 years later, Britain
is catching up.

Demand for petrol has begun to fall in 2012 and, in April, more than 10,000
people in London and 1,000 in Edinburgh took to the streets in protest at
the death toll for cyclists in Britain, which so far for this year stands at
101. Many believe that it is time for Britain to make the same changes that
Copenhagen made three decades ago.

Big cities such as London and Edinburgh — and even towns and villages in more
rural areas — can learn from these simple and, often, affordable rules from
the Copenhagen:

Write safe cycling into the city’s core planning strategy

It is written into the Copenhagen municipal plan that all major new
developments must make provisions for cyclists that meet a minimum standard.
Mr Hansen explained: “If you build something new, there has to be access to
the new building or road for everyone — for cyclists, pedestrians and cars.
There must be bicycle lanes of certain width, surfaced with a certain
material, all to a specific Copenhagen standard.”

The city authorities can also demand that ample cycle parking be built as part
of all new developments For every 100 sq metres of housing (in effect every
apartment) the developer has to install 2½ cycle spaces.

Prioritise cycling above car parking

Removing parking spaces is the first resort when the Copenhagen authorities
seek to install a cycle lane. Every space is replaced either at a new
location nearby or in an underground car park. In certain places, the price
of parking is increased to discourage drivers.

Mr Hansen admitted: “You need a willingness to make life a little more
difficult for drivers.”

Set ambitious medium and long-term targets

When asked in 2010, 67 per cent of Copenhagen cyclists said that they felt
safe on the roads. The City wants to increase this to 80 per cent by 2015.
In 2005, 118 cyclists were seriously injured in Copenhagen: the City wants
to halve that figure by 2015. Currently, 35 per cent of all city centre
trips to work or education are made by bike: the City aims to raise that
figure to 50 per cent by 2015. All this will help Copenhagen in its aim to
be the first carbon neutral capital city by 2025.

Cycle lanes are not for show; they are sanctuaries.

Make them cycle-only and make them link up. The Copenhagen city authorities
carry out regular audits of how many cyclists use major streets – if more
than 5,000 cyclists a day use a road, it qualifies it for a segregated cycle
track. If the number is below 5,000 but still substantial, the road will get
a painted cycle lane which cars cannot enter. The City also makes sure that
cycle lanes interconnect.

Investigate cycle routes away from major roads

In 2006, a cycle bridge was opened across the Copenhagen harbour at a cost of
35 million krone (£3.8 million). The bridge is now used by more than 11,000
cyclists every day and, in terms of time saved, will have paid for itself by
2020.

The City is currently investigating ways to install cycle paths alongside
railway lines into and across Copenhagen. Most trains have an entire
carriage with space for bikes.

Establish how many locals cycle and how many more would like to

Every two years, there is a cycle audit in Copenhagen to find out who cycles,
where they go and how far they travel, and to gauge how many more people
would cycle if they felt safer. Bike maintenance workshops and cycle routes
are then publicised, to make people aware of the provisions available.

Address cycling issues district by district

Marie Kåstrup, project manager for cycling with the City of Copenhagen, said:
“Start with one neighbourhood and develop that, to show how far you can get
if you prioritise cycling” Choose the borough with the highest number of
cyclists and make it a model district for cycling, with cycle paths,
specially phased traffic lights and clear markings that keep cyclists and
large vehicles apart at major junctions. This can be replicated across the
region.

Invest

Building 1km of metro line in Copenhagen costs 1 billion krone. But
constructing 1km of cycle track costs only 8 million krone. By diverting a
greater proportion of transport budgets towards cycling, local authorities
across Britain will reap greater rewards, making their regions safer,
cleaner and more pleasant to travel around.

Sir Chris Hoy has called on the major parties to make “ambitious” pledges to
boost cycling in their manifestos, saying it would be a “dream scenario” if
the streets were safe enough for his infant son to cycle to school with his
Olympian father when he is older